TOP 10 COUNTRIES

1 CHILE

Our winning country is a sinewy sliver of a nation, isolated from the rest of South America (and indeed the world) by the soaring Andes to the east, the vast Pacific Ocean to the west, the bone-dry Atacama Desert up north and the impenetrable wilds of Patagonia down south. From its disparate extremes to the ever-trendier capital of Santiago at its heart, Chile’s citizens will unite in 2018 to mark 200 years of independence. Thanks to new non-stop flights from London, it’s never been easier to catch a plane, raise a glass of pisco sour and toast the celebration. From the colourful streets of coastal Valparaíso to the flamingos of San Pedro de Atacama, the peaks of Torres del Paine and even the moai statues of Easter Island, Chile is never short of inspirational. Read more in this issue’s Great Escape on p61.

About Lonely Planet Traveller (UK)

In the December issue…
Discover which countries, cities and regions topped our Best in Travel 2018 list - beginning with a Great Escape to Chile, from the peaks of Torres del Paine to the Atacama Desert; also, delve into many-faceted Hong Kong, a city of Chinese painting, horse-racing, skyscrapers, fishing villages and an all-hours appetite; explore the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard by boat, snowmobile and dog-sled; and much more